Repair

Services | Repair (prices current for 2017)

Drop off and “while you wait” service are available by appointment. It’s easy to make appointments 1-3 days in advance, and harder on short notice. Emergency appointments are available, especially for working professional players. Please do let me know when it’s an emergency, as I won’t automatically assume a last minute request is one.

Afternoon appointments and evening appointments are easiest during the week — the shop is in a commercial location where it’s OK to playtest deep into the night, so late evening appointments can be scheduled in advance. Weekend appointments are also available.

The more advance notice you can request, the easier it is to make an appointment.

Repair by mail is also available, but this is usually best reserved for overhauls, as with the cost of shipping to Santa Cruz and back to you, for spot repair this drives the hourly rate for spot repair up quite a bit.

As far as my own repair and repair service philosophy, there is a right way & a wrong way (which is anything other than the most ideal way) to do most anything. Often, though, there is more than one way to approach spot repair, and the cost savings of doing it a less perfect sometimes counterbalances the cost of doing it a more perfect way. My job is to help you understand & make clear the technical and cost choices, and then to honor your request according to both your & my own expectations.

As you will surmise, as you look around the site, there is nothing that’s broken on a saxophone that I can’t fix, and almost no type of repair or customization that I haven’t done. The only work I do not do here on saxophones is fabricate necks and bodies from scratch. There is work that I prefer to farm out — for example plating — but part of my job is to make you aware of choices where that makes sense, hire the work for you, and to not hide from you areas of specialization where “farming out” work in someone else’s area of specialization may save you some cost, without sacrificing quality.

Repair rate for 2017 is $65/hr plus materials. I can do a lot in an hour; this is low, in practice, compared to peers of mine. To keep things simple, I charge service strictly on the clock, and when drop-off service is hired you will have a clear idea of exactly what repair was performed when you pick up.

Drop off turnaround time is usually less than 7 business days.

Overhauls (and Pricing)*

I take between 1 and 3 overhauls for hire, monthly (and not more than this). While the best situation is always to work with a trusted and competent repair technician locally, if you can’t find a repairperson in your area, or can’t find one with whom you feel comfortable, please feel welcome to email me (link below) and we can discuss work by mail. Generally, at present, my overhaul wait list is too long for me too take much, if any, spot repair by mail.

Every horn is met according to its own needs, in the end, and final overhaul cost depends on the instrument’s past history. While work is performed on a sliding scale, according to each horn’s needs, the base price for a full overhaul for soprano, alto and tenor, without custom additions, is usually between $845-$935. Baritones, basses and contrabasses are hired on a separate pay scale, $895-$1095, due to the greater labor time required for their larger pads and larger mechanical systems; while the work techniques are the same, for the larger scale pitchings, the actual work requirements are just as fine as for the smaller pitchings & there is just a great deal more work to each requirement. Altos have the lowest base price, generally, followed by soprano, tenor, and then baritone and the lowest pitchings. Sopranos small size actually makes them a bit more difficult to work on, I find, than altos, because the spaces in the mechanism are a little small and more difficult to access. Conn and modern saxes (from a mechanical viewpoint, those based on the Mark VI or SA80 designs) take a bit more time than Martin, Buescher and King, although Martins sometimes require some extra expense if the tone holes are not level or otherwise damaged. Larger pitchings require larger (and more expensive) pads and considerably greater time in regulating tone holes and key cups, as well as seating pads. Base price is simply a reflection of the general difference in work times that various designs usually require. Base price does not include extra costs for special or custom materials (for example, Just Saxes-custom, screw-in, reusable resonators), or for work related to mechanical damage beyond normal, minor wear & tear.

Custom mechanical additions or modifications are charged at $65/hr (plus materials at cost — the shop rate for all non-overhaul-included repair), and the best time to perform them is at the time of a complete restoration (with hand refinish) because that allows for the best clean-up and best cosmetic end result.

Overhauls are performed to the customer’s personal taste and the horn’s needs, with choice of pad and resonator, as well as other custom installation materials. Some of these materials when desired can be quite expensive, but they will be made available at my dealer cost on overhauls (I do not sell overhaul or repair materials separate from overhauls).

For conveniences sake, I am also offering a few ready-made menu items for custom overhauls, which can be altered to taste, with appropriate price adjustments:

Turnaround time on overhauls during periods of normal work volume is 2-4 months by mail, shorter locally (mostly because shipping and unpacking, etc., takes extra time, but also because overhauls by mail require extra time in playing and testing, to assure stability of the work prior to completion), with extra time sometimes required for certain kinds of work (e.g. reconditioning jobs requiring resealing lacquer coating, which sometimes has to wait for conducive climatic conditions, & other types of work that have to “cure” before further work resumes).

Turnaround time depends primarily on the amount of work on my bench at the time the horn arrives, and will be clearly estimated at the time of the work order’s scheduling. I normally work on several horns at once – this helps me keep a fresh attention span for each horn, and the day’s work as it moves – and this is one of the reasons I have a longer turnaround time than some may expect. I can usually lower price a little for customers who do not mind longer waits, because to work with greater peace of mind is literally worth its weight in gold, both to me and in terms of results.

I can schedule overhauls ahead of time, but work will be performed first according to need &mdash; those in dire straits without a trustworthy tech nearby will receive first priority &mdash; and then on a first-come-first-served basis. Please understand that, when inquiring, if I cannot take your horn right away it’s because I have already committed to work on other horns.

Replace alternate Bb key (also known as “Side Bb” key):

On older American saxophones, and some other vintage makes, the side Bb key is a very long, single key, vertically mounted, with both a very long key cup arm and a long lever arm. Because both the key arm on both side of the hinge tube is so long, this key can be a common site of inconsistent seating, even when the hinge tube is tight and properly fitted, thanks to flexion in the key arm itself. This key can be nearly a foot long, for example, on a Conn “Chu” tenor:

A combination of the metal’s inherent flexion, long leverages, and player force can cause this key to seat inconsistently when the saxophone is played. The leverage from the flat spring on this type of key is also very inefficient, and often a site of various problems. The key, even as designed, is not a problem on all saxophones, but tends to be more of a problem with student model saxes from the heyday of American saxophone manufacturing. A dependable solution is to convert the side Bb key, as was done for a local client below, to a modern configuration (which also appears on some vintage American saxes beginning in the 1930s):

The saxophone pictured above is a King Cleveland, and the original side Bb key has been replaced with Selmer keywork. This particular custom addition was done for a client who was completely happy with the horn, except for some inconsistent response, caused by an air leak sometimes produced by the side Bb key’s flexion and inconsistent seating. The modern replacement eliminates that problem.

A few items are worth noting on this particular photo (and job). Done for hire, this work was done according to a budget. While I left the mounting area of the original side Bb as it was (to facilitate reversing the modification, should the owner ever choose to reverse the custom change), clean-up would normally be more thorough, for example at “A” (above) where the key cup posts mount to the body. When making the key itself, all fabricated parts are silver-soldered, except when there is a good reason to opt for soft solder (as in the F# helper modification, described earlier on this page). When fabricating a key, I am always most concerned with the silver solder being dependable; a silver soldered joint is rarely as stable as a brazed joint, other things being equal, so I will usually opt to intentionally allow some overflow, to strengthen the joint (as at “C,” above). I also, whenever possible, will fabricate any pivot points and mountings to match original equipment, and as you can see the key touch pivot and mounting was made for original King pivot screws and locking nuts. This particular Cleveland tenor does exhibit some bent rods — notably the G and Bis rods — but the past repair to this saxophone was done by someone who either bent them as they are or worked with past injuries to the horn so that pads were seated to accommodate the bent arms. Normally, I would correct this, but the pads were seating flat and the action was OK — and the customer was satisfied with those aspects of the horn as is — so they were not corrected as part of this work.

While this particular job was done less expensively, to fit the client’s budget, and according to the client’s and horn’s immediate needs, normally the work to both perform a modification like this and the clean-up for it would cost between $225-$245 total.

There really are no mechanical problems that cannot be solved. The question is always of how far the player wants to go in getting me to solve them. The cost is always just the labor and parts. The labor for keywork modifications is usually more involved than most would guess, but the results are usually worth it, if the player wants the improvement badly enough to pay to have the work done.

News & Updates

July 31, 2017

*Newly Available*: Crescent II altos -- more info to come. These are updates on the original Crescent alto conception with many small but meaningful changes. Available in dark, honeyed gold lacquer. I still have a few original Crescent altos, but will be replacing these with the Crescent II exclusively when those are gone. If you own an original Crescent, don't worry: I still have and will maintain plenty of extra replacement parts for the original Crescent altos.

May 24, 2017

*Now Available*: "JS Custom" Tenor and "JS Custom" necks. The JS Custom Tenor is a new offering made in Taiwan that, with a wide array of neck options -- including handmade necks by Tino Schucht -- may be the tenor you have been waiting for at a fraction of the price one normally expects to pay for a Dream Tenor. The necks are compatible with Crescent and Bauhaus Walstein tenors, offering a darker coloration and a more "bebop-and-beyond"-friendly tone, character and response -- a bit subtler and more jazz friendly than the original necks for both Crescent and BW. This new neck is available in both conventional "Mark VI style" templates and a template that has less upward tilt in its curvature; players who prefer the mouthpiece angle of old American saxophones (e.g. Conn & Buescher tenors) will like the changed entry angle of the mouthpiece with the latter style of "Crescent Custom." Available in a variety of finishes including silverplate and bare brass @ $229 + shipping. (more news and info coming soon)

July 11, 2016

Just Saxes has moved to a convenient new location (with plenty of on-site parking) on 17th Avenue in Live Oak and is open for service locally and internationally (receiving & mailing address remains 1840 41st Ave). Hours are now more flexible than in the past, with evening visits with playtesting possible past 9pm.

- Conn 6M, transitional with NY (overslung, no tuning barrel) neck. Very well preserved, gold lacquered, seems to be original lacquer. Plays well as is (with possibly original pads in lower stack), but next in shop line for full overhaul/restoration but with maxed-out set-up. No significant damage, no past-repair horrors hidden anywhere; very responsive, accurate player. This model is my personal favorite 6M, of all the incarnations. Better intonation than many NY neck 6Ms, registers are nicely in tune with each other, with bold, open, freeblowing voice. $1295 without overhaul / $1895 after overhaul.

- Modernized King Zephyr alto (Yanagisawa style LH pinky cluster): true double socket example last owned by a professional player, came to me in trade and is a superb player -- exceptional intonation, exceptional response (quick attack, very freeblowing, with the right resistance as well when pushed). Vintage hand-refinish (hand strip, light nitrocellulose sealing coat), full overhaul and set-up ($1400 value in overhaul/restoration alone). If you prefer the Zephyr alto's balance of scale and deeper voice to the Super 20, but have never stayed with a Zephyr because the archaic left hand table doesn't work for you, this is going to be the one-of-a-kind horn you get married to and stay with the rest of your life.

- Conn 10M tenor (pre-war, rolled toneholes, very good intonation, overall "player's horn" condition, relaquered -- very good option for someone seeking a classic 10M playing well but not restored/overhauled) - price not yet determined. This 10M was originally purchased for full restoration, but with the current work backload it is available with normal servicing (plays very, very well, has cosmetic and mechanical imperfections).

- more vintage stock is available (see list at bottom of this frame, below), but most saxes are awaiting restoration, customization, or both

- Buescher New Aristocrat alto with "01" neck. The serial number on this example is very close to Rascher's. Full restoration. I actually have a second Buescher "01" neck that I'll be testing for compatibility, and it will be an "ala carte" offering with sale if it matches well. The second neck was last owned by the venerable Kidd Jordan, and should be a good one.